1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to cutting tools and, more particularly, to cutting tools having a pivotable guide member and rotatable blade which are useful for cutting pliable objects such as fiberglass insulation, for example.
2. Background of the Art
As noted in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,680 to Johnson, the process of cutting fiberglass insulation at a job site is often tedious and leaves room for significant error and waste. In this regard, a commonly employed method of cutting fiberglass insulation at a job site involves compressing the insulation with a board and cutting the insulation along an edge of the wood using a standard utility knife. Such a method is considered to be time consuming and often inaccurate. Further, the straight edge employed may shift which results in an insulation piece not being cut as measured. In an effort to address the aforementioned concerns, Johnson provides the art with a cutting tool which is used in association with a work board having a plurality of grooves which are received by the cutting tool blade.
While the workboard may provide for accurate cutting operations, requiring a workboard upon which the insulation must be placed is considered to be an inefficient use of time. Further, the grooves appear to be linear which do not allow deviation to shape a particular piece if so desired.
Another fiberglass insulation cutting tool which addresses some of the above described problems has been proposed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,852 by Napolitano. This patent relates to a hand held fiberglass insulation cutting tool designed to be dragged rearwardly over a surface of the insulation such that the fiberglass is cut and compressed using a single apparatus. While the above described cutting tool is considered to provide an advancement in the art, there are certain perceived drawbacks as to its design. For example, a hand held apparatus makes it impractical to effectuate a cutting operation for large pieces without the person having to be on their hands and knees or requiring placement of the insulation on a table to carry out a cutting operation. If the insulation has to be placed on a table, the cut piece must thereafter be returned to the installation location which is time consuming. As noted, the cutting tool can only be used by dragging the apparatus rearwardly in use which is undesirable under certain circumstances. Further, the cutting blade while touted as increasing the life of the tool would require replacement far more often than is required in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cutting tool which is easy and effective to use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cutting tool which can be used upon positioning the object to be cut upon various substrates.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a cutting tool wherein the replacement of parts can be carried out quickly and easily.